A pictorial journey into the hilarity that is surfing in Southern California – with a focus on poor etiquette, bad photography, body contortions, overcrowding, and bad surfing.
Stop by daily to see if you've been caught doing your best stinkbug power-squat...and please, don't be afraid to be my muse!

Thursday, December 08, 2011

Tuesday, December 06, 2011

"SURFINGBY BRENT ROSE Surfer Shreds Huge Waves With a Self-Propelled SurfboardMotorized
surfboards are nothing new, but typically we just see some yutz
puttering around a glassy lake on them. Bo-ring. But today, finally,
their potential is being realized. Check out braver-than-you big wave
guru Garrett McNamara using a WaveJet to tame some giant, unfriendly
waves.

We wrote about the WaveJet earlier this year, and it's
very cool technology. It's basically a pod that can be attached to small
watercraft like surfboards, kayaks, and rescue boards. It has twin
inboard jets that are powered by lithium-ion batteries. That means that
unlike most jetskis, which run on gas, they can be used in heavy-water
places that are protected sanctuaries (like Mavericks and Ghost Tree).

The
system is controlled by a wireless wrist band, and if (when) you fall
off, the board's motor will automatically shut down. It supplies 20
pounds of thrust and can go 12MPH for about 40 minutes on a full charge.
Now, that's no where near as fast as guys can get whipped in behind a
jetski (think 30MPH), so it's unlikely that we'll see these on a giant
day at Jaws, but this is a major step in the right direction.

"It
was so amazing to kick out and not have to paddle to get out of harm's
way and get right back to the peak to catch another wave," says
McNamara. Oh, and for those of you not familiar with surfing lore,
that's not just some random guy talking. Garrett McNamara is a legend.
Remember last month when someone surfed a 90-foot wave and likely
smashed the world record? Yeah, that was Garrett. If you think that 40
is old, I would say that the 44 year old McNamara effectively
crotch-kicks that notion and gives me hope for the future."